There’s Forced Labor in the US Seafood Industry, Too

Over the last couple of years, the threadbare curtain that shields the inner workings of the seafood industry has been pulled aside bit by bit. And what's behind isn't pretty: There's a pretty good chance that all of that shrimp and other seafood imported from Myanmar or Thailand was either caught or peeled by slaves, and it then ends up on American shelves.

Now, a new report says that the terrible labor conditions in the seafood industry aren't just a problem on the other side of the world. The National Guestworker Alliance, a group representing temporary workers in the US, says that the exploitative conditions that shackle migrant workers in America are the equivalent of forced labor.

The report is based on 126 interviews with seafood processing workers in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as well as previous studies examining the seafood processing industry. The report found that most of the workers processing scallop and groundfish in New Bedford were temporary hires. Many of those are here under the HB-2 visa program, which grants foreign nationals to work in the country for a limited period of time.

Many others, however, are undocumented immigrants. In a previous 2009 study, 75 percent of New Bedford seafood processing workers were undocumented or temporary hires. As temporary workers in the country illegally, the workers were at the mercy of bosses and without recourse to air grievances.

The report found that temporary workers both documented and undocumented were subjected to verbal abuse and curfews, and workers reported having their wages stolen or being paid less than what they were initially promised, as well as not being paid overtime. Employers also threatened undocumented workers that they would expose the workers' immigration status to authorities.

"This new research exposes a reality that workers know all too well," says Daniel Castellanos, a former H-2B worker and co-founder of the NGA. "Seafood processing workers are routinely subjected to severe forms of exploitation by companies producing cheap seafood for major retailers and food distributors like Walmart. And when they speak out or try to resist abuse, they are punished severely for it."

Walmart responded to The Guardian, saying, "Walmart's standards for suppliers lists our social and environmental expectations for our suppliers, specifically addressing working conditions, voluntary labor, pay, the cultivation of a safe and healthy work environment, and freedom of association.

"Walmart also is committed to participating in collaborative efforts with external stakeholders to advance the goal of identifying risk and building a more transparent supply chain, including participation in industry groups that serve as a vehicle to share experiences and gain new information that can help improve operations and the global supply chains as a whole."

The reliance on HB-2 visas, which increased in number three-fold between 1990 and 2000, is largely thanks to our interconnected world. US seafood producers compete against Asian and other global suppliers, where wages are often incredibly low. Speaking to Congress, the president of a Louisiana crawfish processing company that relies upon HB-2 workers from Mexico said that the processing jobs at his plant are "one of America's least desired jobs."

The NGA has petitioned the International Labor Organization to introduce international standards for workers' rights and to protect workers' rights to organize. Until there are legal changes, your shrimp and scallops might continue to come with a side of guilty conscience.